GOD's pantry food bank is renovating a new distribution center to further close the GAP that exists between the food available and the food that makes IT to the tables of neighbors throughout…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded God's Pantry Food Bank Inc. $376,000 on September 15, 2025, under the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFDA 10.225) to renovate a distribution center and construct a production kitchen in Lexington, Kentucky.

The production kitchen will transform locally sourced ingredients into prepared meals for distribution across central and eastern Kentucky. The facility will support four primary objectives: increase nutrient-dense food offerings and prepared meals for the region; expand the organization's capacity to purchase, process, and preserve Kentucky-grown products; develop workforce training and culinary training programs; and reduce food waste by converting perishable fresh foods into frozen meal options. Meals produced at the facility will reach every county in the food bank's service area, serving families, children, and seniors throughout the region.

God's Pantry Food Bank Inc., which operates as America's Second Harvest, is a non-profit hunger relief organization based in Lexington, Kentucky, focused on addressing food insecurity in central and eastern Kentucky. The period of performance runs through January 6, 2026.

GOD's pantry food bank is renovating a new distribution center to further close the GAP that exists between the food available and the food that makes IT to the tables of neighbors throughout central and eastern kentucky. A key addition to this facility is a production kitchen, a space where ingredients gathered throughout the commonwealth can be transformed into nourishing meals by local workforce trainees and culinary professionals and ultimately distributed across our region. This space will serve as a multi-pronged, comprehensive approach to a more food secure community by providing:1. Increased nutrient dense food offerings and prepared meals for neighbors throughout the region.2. Expanded ability to purchase, process, and preserve local, kentucky-grown products.3. Potential for workforce development and culinary training programs.4. Reduced waste with the conversion of fresh food with limited shelf lives into frozen meal options. These investments will have a profound impact across the region; meals created in this production kitchen will make IT to every county in the food bank's service area, boosting nutrition and food access for thousands of families, children, and seniors.